MSU's Poltical Pull and Positioning

[BeastMan]

Had a conversation yesterday where this came up and when you really look at it in totality, MSU had made huge leaps here while our main competitor has fallen behind. As many of y'all know, MSU didn't have much weight to throw around politicaly for a long time. Ole Miss dominated the state legislature and still probably have an edge in that realm but the gap has been closed so much, nothing egregious will happen ever again.

Having pull in the legislature is not the end-all-be-all. You also need sway in the SEC office and within the NCAA. We'll circle back to that.

The first step in this direction was Fogelsong clearing the table to be followed by Mark Keenum. The hiring of Keenum was a clear signal that MSU was ready to play politically. Before accepting the job he was a higher-up within the US Dept of Agriculture and really got to cut his teeth and build bonds in DC. He currently serves as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges' Executive Council. He formerly served as a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities board of directors. Based in Washington, D.C. Keenum was elected vice-president of the Southeastern Conference Executive Committee in 2015 and serves on the SECs Content Committee that oversees the SEC Network. He also represents the SEC as a member of the College Football Playoff's (CFP) Board of Managers. Can you see all the ties there? Regional, DC, and big-time within the SEC.

Keenum is also assisted in the SEC office by the pull of Larry Templeton who is a great friend of former commissioner Slive and current commissioner Sankey. He's known to be the SEC scheduling guru and when A&M/Missouri were added, guess who was in charge of that transition? With Keenum's role as president of the executive committee and LT with the behind the scenes assistance, MSU could not be positioned better within the SEC office.

It also helps to have strong allies within the conference who share your values and maybe even some enemies. John Cohen is new in his role as AD and may not personally have huge stroke yet but he has a huge advocate in South Carolina AD Ray Tanner. You also have Scott Stricklin at arguably the most powerful AD job in the conference. Plenty of rumors that Stricklin is grooming for something bigger... You also cannot forget former MSU AD Greg Byrne at Bama who brings not only his stroke but the juice of his father who has been a long-time power player in the AD world. In the realm of ADs, MSU couldn't be positioned with better allies than Byrne, Stricklin, and and old salt like Tanner.

You cannot overlook MSU's commitment to state political positioning. Nothing signals that like having former Lt Governor Amy Tuck on as Vice President of campus services. Tuck's political ties and sway in the state legislature is an asset as a current MSU employee.

Lastly, you cannot forget that Dan Mullen is one of the most respected coaches in the country within the NCAA. When he took the job on the NCAA oversight committee he was the only coach on the committee (replaced Richt) and even Rebel homer site Football Scoop called him the most powerful coach in football [sort of]. Even after Jeff Long took over Mullen has helped create and push through legislation like early signing periods. Make no mistake about it, Mullen is the anti-Jackie in the NCAAs eyes and MSU benefits greatly from that.

When you see all the pieces moving in the direction they are, you can't help but be proud of the way MSU has been ran and operated. Keenum has really spearheaded this push to position MSU positively in every aspect.

Quickly, I'd like to contrast that to our main competitors, Ole Miss, and how they've operated. I'll start with Chancellor Vitter. From an academic standpoint, he's golden. A Nola guy whose family has a background in LA politics who graduated from Norte Dame. He's a computer scientist and lifelong academia guy. Worked at Purdue, A&M, and most recently Kansas. From strictly an academic standpoint, he's a big-shot but he doesn't have the political resources to pull from that Keenum does. Vitter also has some detractors within the OM community. If I had to compare/contrast Keenum and Vitter and why they were hired I would say Vitter is the guy you hire to raise your academic standards and prestige while Keenum is the mover and shaker who raises the bar from every aspect.

Next you have Ross Bjork. Bjork left Miami when they were in NCAA trouble, and WKU got in trouble that followed him from a Miami via a basketball staffer who also jumped from Miami to WKU. Now you have the NCAA mess in Oxford. Not to mention the embarrassing use of social media over the years. The Kansas native also tried to jump at the KSU opening but was laughed off by KSU. You're talking about a guy that was a rising star 4 years ago whose stock has plummeted. No SEC or NCAA pull. No real allies either. He's kinda just stuck.

Lastly, you have Hugh Freeze. A guy who has no real coaching tree, no sway within the NCAA, and after this case is over where OM affiliates are sueing and attempting to depose former recruits, no juice in the SEC. Not to mention embarrassing use of social media also. He's went to great lengths to talk about the relationships he has in coaching but make no mistake, he has no network of power.

Now I'd be remiss if I didn't mention OM's power in the state legislature where I believe they are still the power. The gap is closed but they still have the edge. Also, they have the edge in power alumni in the state. Big-time litigation will do that for you but I don't think we'll see that windfall ever again.

Looking at how MSU has positioned vs Ole Miss the last few years it's truly chess vs checkers. That's why this NCAA deal has turned out like it has and the attempts to flip it on MSU have fallen flat. You guys can thank MSU leadership for its foresight in how to position itself for that. When you consider MSU's budget, school size, and the fact it's located in the poorest state in the country, its astonishing the position they are in politically.